I'll Wait For You
by 1piecelover93
Summary: What happens when Michelle is taken away from her ship by pirates? After what happened a while back, she can't help but hate them. But what will happen when memories of a certain pirate swordsman come back? Will her heart still feel the same for him?
1. The Journey Begins

The cold bit into her skin as she made her way through the school court. It was winter and boy was it a cold one. Michelle was on her way to boating class. She went to a seaside school. Her brown, wavy hair was tied back in a pony-tail. Along with it she wore a black wool long-sleeved shirt and had on some of her thick dark blue jeans that really did show her figure. Her black boots were water proof and really came in handy during fieldtrips on the sea. But it was always average. _'I hope that changes today.'_

Down at the docks her class mates were crowded around the message board. Michelle realized that today the school was posting the list of students that were going on the big sea quest or whatever. "Michelle! Michelle!" One of her friends Becky was running toward her with her black hair flailing out behind her. "You're in! You get to go on the trip! Of course I got in too." She welcomed Michelle with a big hug and congratulatory smile.

"I can't believe it!" Michelle was shocked beyond her own mind. She had wanted to go on this thing and really studied hard and now she got her wish and she was going!

"I know I can't believe we're both going together!" Becky was jumping for joy.

"No. I can't believe you made it with your grades and 'expertise' with handling a ship." Michelle gave her a sarcastic smile.

"Not funny. Do you already have your stuff?"

"I knew I would need it so yeah!" Michelle showed her the black suitcase she was carrying behind her. "You should not question my common sense mortal!" They both laughed and headed toward the ship.

They had rooms right next to each other. But because they were the first ones on the boat, they got the best rooms in there. In their rooms there was a big fluffy bed enough for three people to fit on it. There was also a couch for lounging next to the window so one could look out over the sea. Michelle just jumped on the bed and decided to take a nap.

"It's good to be on time." She drifted off to sleep.

Dream

"You promised you'd never leave me."

"But I'm back now aren't I?" Michelle was swept into strong arms protectively.

A tear rolled down her face. "Then why didn't you come back when I needed you most?" All of a sudden a fire broke out around them. The great shock scared Michelle and caused her to wrap her arms around the man.

"I promise I won't let you leave my sight ever again."

End Dream

She woke to a loud bell ringing out. In all of her years of life she hadn't had that dream since she was 13 and that was 6 years ago! _'I wonder why now.'_

When she came up on deck she saw something she had always wanted to see. The wide, open sea dared her to jump in and escape life. It was just so beautiful.

"Hello there! You must be Michelle. I'm the captain of this fine ship. I've been told you are the top sailor in your school."

The man loomed over her greatly. He, of course, had on a blue jacket to symbolize his rank as captain. He was elderly but strong. His muscles were about as noticeable as his white beard. He was probably 6 foot or something higher.

"Yes, I am. It's very good to meet you captain." She saluted him and smiled. He smiled back and then pointed to the wheel.

"Well then let's see just how good your navigational skills are. There should be a map up there already. Follow the course I've drawn up and if you're lucky I'll let you be our navigator for the journey." A big smile formed on his face and Michelle smiled back.

'_Guess I'll be doing that for the next week or so. That was what I was best at!' _She nodded and walked up to the wheel and only looked at the map once before she began to steer. Of course she didn't have to look at it because she had a photographic memory and could memorize anything with one glance if she had her mind in the right place at the time.

But even though she was right about the being the navigator thing for the next week and all, she never could have guessed what destiny had in store for her at the end of that week.


	2. Train Me!

A whole week passed and Michelle worked long and hard as the navigator. She had shifts with another girl, Anna. The two of them would hang out sometimes along with Becky, who had become the chef of the ship. The three of them got along very well.

"Tomorrow we'll get to sleep in late. The school crews do at least." Anna was sitting in the dining hall with Becky and Michelle. The three of them were enjoying a freshly cooked dinner compliments of Becky (it turns out she's an awesome chef).

"Well that's good. I'm soooo tired! I haven't been getting enough beauty sleep. How long?" Becky had always slept until around 7:30 because school started at 8:30. For the past week everybody had been getting up at 6:00.

"Until 9:00. How long do you plan to sleep in?" Anna looked from Becky to Michelle.

"The whole time, duh! What about you Michelle? Are you going to be our early bird as usual?" Becky looked at Michelle who had just stood up.

"I'm getting up around 6:30 tomorrow to do some sketches of the morning sea. Maybe tomorrow something great will happen; something not so boring." She turned and waved at them as she walked away. "But right now I have to be on deck. See ya tomorrow mornin'." She disappeared through the door and headed for the deck. She had watch duty tonight.

"Well aren't you the early bird?" The captain had walked up to Michelle who was about to go up to the crow's nest with a blanket, her jacket, and a sketch book in hand with a pencil.

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?" She turned and looked at the man.

"I guess it's true if everyone calls you that. I'm just here to inform ya that you'll be able to come down around midnight to have some shut eye." He gave her another one of those big smiles and then turned around when someone called for him. "Well best be going then. Good luck!" He walked away leaving Michelle to turn and climb up to the nest so she could get settled.

The night was cold and she was glad that she had a lot of cover. At midnight she looked at her watch and heard someone climbing up. "Well guess my shift is over."

"Hiya! I'm Tom. I'm here to take the next shift." He climbed in as she was gathering all of her stuff.

"Just so ya know, it might get colder so you might need this." She handed him the blanket and gave him a small wave when she began her decent down the mast.

She was so happy to just jump right onto her bed and once she did she fell right asleep. (Boy that was fast!) Then she fell into her dream; once again seeing and hearing this man who she could not remember.

Dream

The fire began to close in and she held tighter to the figure in her arms. "Don't leave me!"

The man held her tight as well. When he began to let go she begged him not to. "Don't worry. I will save us chica." He scooped her up and with one bound leapt over the flames. When they were in the clearing he put her down and turned.

"Where are you going? You said you wouldn't go!" When he turned back to her he looked down at her so calmly.

"You know I can't stay here for long. Merely because I am a pirate chica. Also I doubt your family would appreciate me taking you away so soon." He bent down at eye level with her and looked her in the eye. "You must promise me that your heart won't be stolen by any other boy while I'm gone."

"What are you talking about? You should know very well that I will always wait for you-"

End Dream

Michelle woke up to a loud bell sounding out through the ship. "PIRATES!! PIRATES!!" Someone was screaming from the deck and trying to wake everybody up. Becky rushed in with her suitcase in hand.

"You need to pack everything now! Pirates are invading the ship and we need to leave immediately." She began to throw Michelle's stuff into her suitcase so fast she was done before Michelle was out of bed and into her long black sweater.

"What are you talking about? We can't leave." There were footsteps coming towards her room. Anna rushed in with her own belongings.

"Hide! They're coming this way!" Michelle and Becky couldn't even take two steps before the door swung open and two men came into the room. Nothing was said. But the three of them were hauled off to the deck along with their bags.

The man on deck was standing over the girls' captain. Around him were even more bodies. Becky shrieked and was hit in the face by a rather large man. The man looked over and smiled. He had dust brown hair that was matted. His clothes were ragged. But on his back he bore the sign of a pirate. His eyes held want within them and it scared the three girls to death.

"These girls will be great pleasure to have around! Maybe we can actually have some fun tonight men!" This man's crew yelled in excitement but was interrupted by a man making an announcement.

"Sir he's caught up to us already! What'll we do?"

"I guess grab the wenches and run!" The pirate captain came over and began to pick Michelle up by the waist, but was stopped by a more cheery voice.

"Well, well, well! Look at this boys! It seems these men are trying to steal these beautiful young ladies away from their ship. How should we punish them?" The men behind him smiled and leaped forward to begin the fight.

The man in front of Michelle grabbed her and began to run. "Michelle!" Becky and Anna screamed out her name but she was too stunned to speak. A red haired man ran up to them and kicked down the men holding them.

"You two all right?" He seemed to be the captain of the newly arrived crew. "I'm Captain Shanks at your service." He bowed sarcastically to them.

"You have to save our friend! She was taken by that guy and carried off that way. I'm Becky and Michelle has been my friend since we were little. You have to save her!" Becky and Anna began to cry. Shanks looked behind them to see the man retreating. The girls looked up at him to see him smiling. "What are you smiling about?"

When the two of them looked back they saw a man jump out of nowhere with a sword and strike down the retreating man. Michelle flew up into the air and was caught by this man and he held her bridal style. "Hm? It's you is not chica?"

She looked up at him and stared him in the face. "I don't know who you are but I owe you one big time." He put her down and saw two other girls run over and hug her to death.

"Good job Mihawk! Glad to see you were still in a bad mood. Now then who might you be?" A red haired man turned to Michelle and stare her in the face. But all she did was turn away from him.

"Thank you both. But I would appreciate being brought back to my home please." Michelle sounded angry for some reason. "I'm going back to my room to think." With that she left them to stare at her back and watch her disappear into the cabin.

Everyone was a bit silent for a moment. It was Becky who broke the silence. "I'm sorry for her behavior. How about we go down to the dining hall so I can make you something to eat? I'll tell you the story there."

-----------------------------------------------------

In the dining hall everyone seemed to enjoy the food Becky made and showed that by eating a lot of it and the leftovers from the other night.

Becky, Anna, Shanks, and Mihawk sat in the captain's quarters as Becky told the story of why Michelle had acted the way she did towards the men who saved her. "You see, 4 years ago when Michelle was 15 her parents died. It was one of those regular days and the two of us were in the valley telling stories. She would always tell of this pirate who had saved her once before. She had promised him she'd wait for him until he came back for her. She had fallen for that pirate and now I don't know her feelings for him anymore. But that day pirates raided her village. By the time she had gotten back to her house, the pirates were smashing down the doors. She was captured as well as her parents and her little brother. She and her mother were dragged off to different rooms and those pirates…..those assholes raped them. Michelle's innocence was taken from her and to make everything worse her mother was killed because she tried to protect Michelle. Her dad and brother were killed in a fire that completely destroyed the house. She was still inside but escaped. My family found her sitting in the middle of the ashes. She kept saying something like, 'Why weren't you here to protect me this time? Why?' Since then she's hated pirates. But like I said I don't now her current feelings for that one pirate. That's all there is to the story."

Anna and Shanks looked at each other. When everyone looked back at Mihawk they saw him looking out the window staring at something. When everyone else looked out they saw you picking up the bodies and laying them all in a line so they wouldn't get trampled on. She was also crying. "Why is it whenever she sees this sort of thing she cries?" Everyone looked at Mihawk. "What?"

Anna and Shanks looked at each other and smiled. "You're that pirate aren't you?" Anna looked at him with a big evil little smile. "Well?"

"Yes. I was the one she met 6 years ago and I guess she doesn't really care for me anymore." Mihawk looked mournfully back down at the girl on the deck trying to line up dead bodies. He stood and walked out, Shanks and the other two followed. They all came down to the deck and when Michelle saw them she merely gave them one glance and went back to work.

Suddenly she stopped in her tracks when she bent down over a man's body. She picked something up and examined it. She stood and they noticed her make a fist at her side. She stalked over to Becky and handed her the piece of paper in her hand.

Becky's eyes grew and she looked up at Michelle. "Is this that man who….?" She didn't finish her sentence but looked at Michelle with concern. "Don't get any ideas Michelle. You know that because of your strength you can't beat him."

Michelle turned to the two pirates in front of her. "I know Becky told you my story and I will not deny that I despise pirates. I would never ask a favor of one in a million years but now I'm making an exception. Would you please train me so I can defeat the man who destroyed my life?"


	3. The Proposition

When Michelle woke up that next morning she looked around. The scenery had changed. _'Oh yeah.'_

Flashback (MUAHAHAHAHA!)

"Would you please train me so I can defeat the man who destroyed my life?"

Shanks stared at her. As did everyone else. "You'll have to come and stay with us. Being a pirate means we can't hang out on land forever and wait for the navy to come and get us."

"I know that. I'm willing to put up with something I hate. If I can do that I can live with living with all of you for now." Michelle stared Shanks in the face. "I already know how to fight in hand to hand combat just a bit but I know it could really help if you agreed to train me."

Shanks looked at Mihawk. "You'll have to train her in the swords field. Beckham can train her in hand to hand. That ok with you?" Mihawk nodded in response and then turned his gaze to Michelle's friends.

"What about you two?"

Becky and Anna glanced at each other. "We're coming too! There's no way we're leaving her alone with a bunch of guys!" Becky and Anna wrapped their arms around Michelle. They were protective of her.

"Then that settles it! We'll help you with your luggage then." Shanks walked over and picked up Michelle's bag. Mihawk did the same with the other 2 bags sitting next to Michelle's.

'_Guess I'm hanging with pirates for a while.'_

End Flashback

Michelle climbed out of the bed she was laying in and saw all of her stuff lying at the foot of her bed. She searched out a black tank top with a navy blue jacket. She put on a comfortable pair of blue jeans that she stepped on when she walked with her black combat boots. She left the room and walked down a long hall. When she exited the hall she was welcomed by a very bright light. _'Damn sun.'_

"Welcome to the ship lass!" a red head pirate practically ambushed Michelle when she came 5 feet away from the door.

"Wait Shanks!" Becky was standing on the upper deck. But her warning was too late. Michelle reacted and in a bad way. She ended up jumping into mid-air and kicking him to the side. "I tried to warn him. Michelle is strongest and reacts faster when she's still half asleep. Hey, Anna can you go get the first aid kit? I'm sure she did some damage to him." Anna nodded and went to go and get the kit.

"That actually hurt! Mihawk I don't think you should-" Shanks was clutching the left side of his ribs and now Mihawk was probably in for the same fate……pretty true.

When Mihawk came up to Michelle he actually attacked her perpously and she fought back! The amazing thing is at one point her stomach growled rather loudly. "Where's food?" She saw a punch coming toward her and she dodged and punched him right into Shanks. "If you would please show me where the dining hall is?"

"This way hon." Anna was the first one there to guide Michelle to where she could find food.

"I told ya she was faster and stronger when she was half asleep. She could even beat you 'oh great swordsman'. Which means she should be an interesting student." Becky smiled and went to check their wounds…….that her best friend had just inflicted upon the two men.

"I really don't see what needs to be worked on in her hand-to-hand combat skills." Beckham had appeared from behind the wooden door to the ship cabin. "She seems strong in that field."

"Only when she sleeps," Becky explained for the third time, "is she actually able enough to take on a strong opponent."

Shanks jerked when she put some alcohol on the wound on his cheek. "Ouch! That hurts!" He jerked away and placed a hand over the small bruise.

"….baby." Becky turned to Mihawk and saw that he was already standing and walking the same path Anna had lead Michelle in.

"I want to see how good she is at swords." He vanished through the door and out of their sight.

"Good! I'm glad I hurt those good for nothing pirates!" Michelle said through mouthfuls of food.

"Aw, c'mon Michelle! They're being very kind to you and they're going to help train you….even though you really don't need help in the hand-to-hand combat…" Anna looked at her friend and realized it was useless trying to reason with her about Shanks and Mihawk.

"I don't care! My home town was attacked and ambushed by pirates! For heaven's sake! I was raped by them! I won't forgive any pirate. Ever!" Michelle finished her final bite of food and then hurried to gather up all of her food. "They don't deserve it!"

"Who doesn't deserve what chica?" Michelle froze and Anna merely looked up and waved at the pirate now standing behind Michelle. "Mind telling me?"

"In fact, I do mind. If you would, please move out of my way." She turned and faced Mihawk. At first she could have sworn she saw a hurt expression behind those deep golden eyes of his. She shook it off mentally and stared back at him coldly. He moved aside and, with her gathered up food, walked away from the two.

Becky waited up on deck for her friend. When she emerged from the galley she was being followed by Anna and Mihawk. 'Uh-oh….' She took a wild guess and knew her friend got into some kind of fight with Mihawk. "Hey!" Becky waved at her friend and Michelle smiled happily and waved back.

Becky ran up to her and seemed to be bouncing in mid air. "Sugar high…." Michelle grew worried that her friend would be acting scarier than usual in her current …attitude.

"Go up to the crow's nest….or whatever it's called! I need to talk to ya about something k?" A devious thought ran through Becky's mind but would not let her friend in on her plan. "Promise!"

"…Okay. But don't go off and push me off the mast." Michelle made her way farther from Mihawk and toward the tall mast that had the crow's nest higher up on it.

When Becky knew her friend was out of hearing distance and she couldn't pay attention to her, she went straight toward Mihawk and Anna. With the two of them on either side of him he was trapped.

"Oh Mihawk!" Becky bound toward the now mournful looking pirate. "I have a proposition for you!" An evil little grin lit her face. "Well, we have a proposition for you."

"This better not be some kind of trap." Mihawk wanted to back away from the crazy looking girl but knew he was pinned between Anna and Becky. "What is it?"

"Well you were wondering if Michelle still liked you right?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "What if I do? What could you do about it?" He stared directly at her.

Now Anna spoke up. "We could get that information for you on one condition."

Becky finished up the rest of the compromise. "You have to kiss her tomorrow…..or at least after a few days." She smiled up at him and then spotted Anna's non-stop gesturing to finish the rest of it. "Oh! And we have to have full proof that you held your side of the bargain. So? What do you say?"

Mihawk stared at her for a long moment and then switched his gaze to Anna. He was a hard shell to break with that "die now" stare of his. "Fine. But you have to tell me the night you get her answer." The girls squealed with delight.

"Deal!" He shook their hands and Becky ran to find Michelle in the crow's nest.


	4. Author's Note

Hello there everyone! I apologize but I am not able to work on my fics right now. I've been sick and I'm also being overloaded with homework! I'm also studying to get my learner's permit so I don't really have much time. I promise I will post the next chapters to all of my fics as soon as I can! Please don't be mad at me!!!

Thank you for your time!

1piecelover93


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